Fire of a Weasley
by Ajtheduck
Summary: The life of Charlie Weasley. From excitable, dragon-obsessed child starting his first year at Hogwarts right the way through to the end of the Second Wizarding War and his life after. Moving from one important moment of Charlie's life to the next, see the little boy who loves his family turn into the man who fights to save the Wizarding World.
1. Diagon Alley

Fire of a Weasley

 **Author Note: Hi all! This idea just came into my head and it sort of took over. Though I love writing about the Marauders and will still being doing one-shots of their time at Hogwarts, I thought about the sometimes forgotten generation who attended Hogwarts – the 80s kids. Charlie Weasley and his story, family and dragons, was such a big YES in my head, so here we are. Really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it and scanning through the internet and the books to get as much information as I could.**

 **The chapters of each story will contain what I feel is an important part of Charlie's life from his years at Hogwarts until after the Second Wizarding War. I think I have everything covered for the future but feel free to write a review if you want to make certain I don't miss certain parts of his life – or just general feedback which will be hugely appreciated!**

 **Anyway, enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter" or anything related to it. I'm just a kid playing in the park the wonderful JK made for us.**

Charlie read his letter again and again and again. Curled up under the hedge line that ran parallel to the Burrow, he could hear his mother calling him and his siblings in for lunch. He would stay where he was, just a little bit longer. Only once or twice had he ever thought this letter might not come, that for some reason or other they did not want him or somehow he had done something wrong and they had found out and expelled him before he had even got there. But then the letter came this morning, and his mum and dad smiled at him when they saw what it was, and Bill patted him excitedly on the back. The rest of the Weasley children had at first done nothing but shoot envious glances at Charlie, but soon even four-year-old, stubborn Ron was asking for the letter to be read aloud for him. After Fred and George had spilt milk all over the kitchen table trying to reach for the letter for the tenth time each, Charlie had quickly left into the garden with it to keep it from harm. Bill of course had received his two years earlier, but Percy's new rat Scabbers had chewed it to pieces that very evening. Charlie was determined nothing like that would happen to his letter, after all a wizard only ever gets one letter inviting him to join Hogwarts.

"Come on Charlie, did you not hear mum calling us for food?" came the deep voice of his older brother Bill.

Over the summer Bill's voice had broken and it still took Charlie by surprise at how much he sounded like their dad now. Bill was Charlie's best friend and he had missed him dearly the past two years since he started Hogwarts. Sure he was kept busy by his other siblings but Percy picked up a book at the age of six and never put one down again and Fred and George were only four when Bill left, whilst Ron and Ginny were still babies. But it was not only the idea of being able to see Bill whenever he wanted that made Charlie happy, he could not wait to finally meet witches and wizards the same age as him. By no means had he had an unhappy childhood, but it was the definition of sheltered. It was only last year that Arthur had managed to convince Molly that the children were safe now, that the dark times were behind them. Charlie had only recently come to understand why he had never been allowed to leave the Burrow without being with either his mum or dad. Though You-Know-Who died almost three years ago now, a few months after that historic day Bill had told Charlie that he had overheard their parents talking about a couple called the Longbottoms. That compiled with Sirius Black's murder of Peter Pettigrew saw Molly revert straight back to locking down the Burrow. Neither Charlie nor Bill ever said anything against their mum for being so protective, they were both old enough to remember their uncles Fabian and Gideon and how much their deaths had hurt their mother.

"Sorry Bill, got distracted by a couple gnomes trying to rip apart a flobberworm. Think they may be eating it now," said Charlie as he crawled out from his hiding spot. He quickly jumped up and as discreetly as he could slid the letter down the back of his trousers and out of sight.

"Gnomes and flobberworms looks much more like hiding and reading to me. At least we know Percy isn't adopted then, or maybe you both are," Bill jested back. Charlie bashfully grinned; his brother knew him too well. Making their way back towards the kitchen door, a shriek came from inside.

"GEORGE WEASLEY you put your brother's wand down right now! FRED! Stop trying to put that spider on Ron, you know how much they scare him! Percy where are your older brothers!"

Right on que the two boys jumped through the door and sprang into action. Bill went straight for George and whipped the wand from his hand. Charlie picked Fred up under the armpits and hoisted him away from his petrified little brother. Dropping Fred down into his seat, Bill and Charlie came to attention in front of their mother and saluted.

"Sit. All of you." Commanded Mrs. Weasley as she lay the platter of sandwiches she had made for her children out on the table. Charlie settled into the seat between Fred and Ginny in her raised chair; Bill collected a jug of water left on the side and sat down at the head of the table. With everyone seated they soon tucked in and started to devour their food. "Charlie, I spoke to your father over the floo this morning, he told me he has a half-day at work on Thursday so he can take you to Diagon Alley in the afternoon for school shopping. Bill he says that you can come too if you would like." Both brothers nodded. Bill took a break from his chicken sandwich to drain a glass of water and tie his fallen hair back into a ponytail. "Oh Bill, please let me cut it before you go back to Hogwarts. The professors must think you are so scruffy!"

"Mum at a school full of teenagers who are all capable of performing magic the last thing the professors are worrying about is my hair."

"Still, I think we ought to give it a little trim, just so it's not ridiculous by the time you get home for Christmas."

"Mum, Hogsmeade remember. I'm a third year now, I get to go. So if it does get 'ridiculous' I'll make sure I visit one of the locals and get them to shave it all off for you. That make you feel better and end this pestering about my hair?" Mrs. Weasley huffed and puffed for the rest of the lunch but no more was said about it. Soon the conversation returned to George stealing Bill's wand and the seriousness of underage magic. This continued until all the Weasleys had had their full and were asking to leave the table. Mrs. Weasley took Ginny and Ron up to bed for their naps; Percy returned to the chair by the fire and picked up the book he had left there; whilst Fred and George wanted to go and play quidditch with Charlie and Bill. Collecting brooms from the shed, soon they were up in the air hidden by the trees of the orchard. Eventually it became all three against Charlie who was by far the most comfortable on a broom. Bill started swooping into the trees to grab apples that he began to throw at Charlie, claiming they were bludgers. Seeing Charlie dodge them with ease he changed target and started pelting his younger twin brothers. Soon all four of them had ditched their brooms and were duelling it out with apples in hands.

Thursday came about quickly and Charlie rose at the crack of dawn, excitement filling him. Upon waking he ran downstairs and even caught his dad leaving for work at the Ministry of Magic. It was a warm August morning and he disappeared into the garden before Mrs. Weasley could find a job for him. He would get his own robes today as he was far broader than Bill was at eleven and couldn't fit into the robes he wore in his first year at Hogwarts. All the books on Charlie's school list had already been brought for Bill, which Charlie didn't mind because he knew Bill had been careful with them knowing his other siblings would one day have to use them too. But what got Charlie's heart thumping hard against his chest was the knowledge that he would be getting a wand today. A wand just for him, which choose him and him it. When Bill had returned from Diagon Alley and shown everyone his wand, Charlie couldn't help but twinge with jealousy. But now he would have one as well and that happy thought just could not go away.

Charlie spent the first few hours before his siblings got up wandering through the corn fields that surrounded his home. He had always loved being outside even if it was just to walk. It was the open sky he loved the most, it just felt so natural to be up in the air on his broom. He knew he was too young to be thinking about work but he could not comprehend how his father would want to be shut up in an office all day. Charlie knew whatever he would end up doing he'd make sure it required him to be out in the open as much as possible, he'd be pleased with that.

Charlie must have walked for miles as by the time he got back to the Burrow even little Ginny was up and feeding the chickens with Ron. Percy and Bill were sat in the kitchen chatting about Hogwarts again. "You don't need to worry Perc, if you are put in Ravenclaw then that is brilliant and you will fit right in. There are brave Ravenclaws as much as there are smart Gryffindors. I've got some friends in Hufflepuff but I don't see you in that house myself, and well Slytherin is Slytherin. May disown you if that's where you end up," Bill finished with a smirk. "AH the wanderer returns to us," exclaimed Bill as he spotted Charlie in the doorway. "Mum's got some chores for you, me and Percy. Do you want to eat first or shall we get started?" said Bill, as he slid a plate of pancakes across the table to Charlie who had already taken a seat and was pouring himself a glass of milk.

"What does mum want the three of us for?" Charlie enquired as he started slicing up his pancakes.

"We've got a de-gnoming on our hands!" Percy said triumphantly, "and can we get started pretty soon, I don't want to be left to finish the job after you two have gone. It's almost ten already!"

The de-gnoming took the next three hours leaving all three Weasley boys covered in grime and sweat. The three quickly showered and dressed before everyone settled down for lunch. As the plates were being cleared, the fireplace burst into bright green flames and out stepped Arthur Weasley. "Ah good you are ready! Bill, Charlie shall we get a move on?" The two brothers leapt up, Mr. Weasley gave Mrs. Weasley a quick kiss on the cheek, and then all three had walked into the fire and disappeared.

One by one they walked out of the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. Waving a quick hello to the barman that Mr. Weasley said was called Tom, he ushered his two sons into the back room. Tapping on the bricks with his wand, the wall started to fold in on itself and behind it lay Diagon Alley. Charlie hadn't been allowed to come to Diagon Alley with Bill when he got his Hogwarts letter due to the danger still posed by those who had served You-Know-Who but had managed to avoid imprisonment. Bill had told him that it was quite empty still, with most people there hurrying to get from one shop to the other to buy everything they needed. Mrs. Weasley had picked up Bill's second year books on her own last year as Bill didn't need anything else. Their father had told them that on November 1st 1981 the street was packed with witches and wizards, getting very drunk and sending up jets of light into the air in celebration. He had spent the next few weeks travelling round the country dealing with muggle fireworks that wizards had tampered with to triple the effects of. The Alley had gone quiet again though for a time after the murder of Peter Pettigrew and the attack on the Longbottoms.

When Charlie's eyes adjusted to the sun, he could not imagine this street ever being empty. Scores of witches and wizards were shopping, eating, or noisily chatting to one another as far as Charlie could see. Bill, though he had been here before, also had a large grin on his face as he took in the crowds. A group of old looking wizards were under an umbrella shielding them from the sun, dressed in long black, grey or brown robes and all hunched over their ice-cream sundaes outside a place called Florean Fortescue's. A witch was pulling her bemused husband – probably a muggle Charlie thought - down the street after their blonde son who had gone rushing through the crowd towards Quality Quidditch Supplies. A young witch with ginger hair, oh wait maybe it was blonde, or pink, was standing awestruck at the huge building at the end of the street before her father called her into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Charlie tugged at his father's elbow and pointed at the building the witch had been looking at. "Is that it Dad, is that the bank where the goblins are? Please can we go inside Dad?"

"Not right now Charlie, I already collected our money the other day and we've got lots to do and don't want the shops to close before we have got round them all. Maybe later if we have the time son," said Mr Weasley kindly.

"But dad, I er… I heard there was a dragon in there. Please, we wouldn't have to get close to it. Just see it from afar and then we could do our shopping," Charlie pleaded but his dad only took him by the hand and lightly pulled him towards Ollivanders. Most thoughts of dragons immediately left Charlie's head as he saw which shop they were starting towards.

The bell tinkled as the Weasleys huddled inside. There were two boys who looked very much alike, presumably twins, who were testing wands. One was waving his about causing the flames of the candles to grow and roar loudly, the other was much more precise with his handling but ultimately ended up setting fire to a bit of draping hanging down from the upper layer of the small room. "Be with you in a minute Arthur, please take a seat" came the soft voice of the man who had taken both wands off the boys. The Weasleys sat down on the remaining chairs available to them, next to the boys' father who was dressed in a corduroy suit with a plain pink shirt underneath.

"Hello sir, don't worry about your boys, mine here took fifteen minutes to finally settle on the right wand for him," Arthur said reassuringly, rubbing Bill on the shoulder as he told his sons to take a seat.

"Thank you I guess. I'm assuming this is normal to you then, because I've seen it all today I swear. It's been very exciting, but I thought goblins would be the biggest surprise of my day. Now I've got my two boys sending flames and whatever else out of these sticks. I've lived in London all my life, how on earth could I not have noticed this huge wizarding borough."

"Ah you're a muggle! How brilliant! I have a question for you as well sir, what is the function of a rubber duck? I saw one a couple of years ago and no one has been able to supply me with an answer," asked Mr. Weasley, leaning in closer to the muggle and giving him his full attention.

"That's something else that has baffled me all day. Every shop I go into all the owners are soon calling me a muggle. Is it an offensive word? What does it mean? Rubber ducks aren't important don't worry yourself about them."

Disappointed with the man's answer to his rubber-duck inquiry, Mr Weasley nonetheless was happy to explain the wizarding world to the man as best he could. For ten minutes the two of them spoke about muggles and wizards, only reluctantly stopping when the twin boys had finally chosen their wands and were urging their father to come and pay for them. "Well, thank you for making a few things clearer for me. The missus at home won't believe what I have found out today. I'm Brian Dreki, these are my sons Hassan and Olyvar, hope to see you again," he said as he held out a hand to Mr. Weasley. Mr Weasley took it quickly and shook it. Mr. Dreki then paid and left and finally it was Charlie's turn to get his wand.

"Good afternoon Weasleys. I see you have brought me another son today Arthur, how many more can I be expecting over the next few years?" Mr. Ollivander asked with a smile.

"This is Charlie, and of course you remember Bill and all the smashed vases we left in here last time we visited. You've got a break for a few years, Percy my next eldest won't be attending Hogwarts for another three years. Both I and Molly will be here with you for when the twins come, and then little Ron and our daughter Ginny a couple years after them." Mr. Ollivander seemed rather content at the prospect of equipping future Weasleys with their wands and let out a small chuckle at the memory of his flower vase smashing three times as Bill had tested out wands two years ago.

"Very good, very good. Ten and a half inches long, pliable, made of blackthorn with a unicorn tail hair I remember. How has it been treating you William?" Bill nodded to indicate it was working for him. Mr. Ollivander smiled and then turned to Charlie, piercing him with his silvery eyes. "Charlie, shall we begin? Remember, the wand chooses the wizard." He picked up the tape measure he had left on the counter. "Which is your wand hand?" Charlie held out his left arm and the tape measure began to measure him whilst Mr. Ollivander started bringing wand boxes down from their shelves.

Charlie was handed a variety of wands, each a different wood type, length or core. His heart skipped a beat every time he was given a wand with a dragon heartstring core, but was left disappointed when Mr. Ollivander swooped it back out of his hand after the first had ripped up a part of the floorboards and the other simply did nothing. Charlie was handed his fifth wand when tingles went up his arm all the way to his shoulder. He raised the wand directly at the sky and a small, controlled burst of flame shot out of the end and warmed him as it spiralled round his body and disappeared as it got to the floor. Bill and Mr. Weasley were on their feet clapping and Mr. Ollivander let out a little hoot, "Oh, well done Mr. Weasley. A unicorn tail hair just like your brother. Ash wood, twelve inches long, supple. Oh, well done!" Mr. Weasley soon paid for his son and they were back out into the street. Charlie was beaming, though perhaps a little crestfallen that a dragon heartstring wand had not chosen him. Mr. Weasley suggested ice cream and soon Charlie's disappointment was replaced with ecstasy at having a wand in his pocket. A wand that was his.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. They had to go into Madam Malkin's to buy robes, a hat and a pair of dragon skinned gloves; at least he'd go home with something that once belonged to a dragon. A couple hours later the trio had purchased a cauldron, phials, a telescope and a set of brass scales for Charlie. All were second-hand and a little battered but Charlie didn't mind. It was approaching 4:30 in the afternoon and the Alley was starting to empty of children with their parents and fill with adults finishing work and heading towards the Leaky Cauldron for a drink or to head home. Charlie had asked again about visiting Gringotts but his father had told him that their vault wasn't near any dragon he knew off. Thinking about that dragon for the majority of the day, when the three Weasleys stepped out of the fireplace into their kitchen Charlie had decided that it was cruel to keep a dragon so far underground. A dragon wasn't a guard dog and he couldn't imagine the goblins were very nice to it.

The evening was spent showing his younger siblings and his mother everything they had brought. His dad that afternoon had rehashed his mum's speech on the issue of under-aged wizardry, so Charlie only allowed the twins and Ron to look at the wand in his hand. Later that night when most Weasleys were tucked up in bed, Percy joined Bill and Charlie in their room and the three of them chatted long into the night about Hogwarts, wands and the end of summer.


	2. Arriving at Hogwarts

Fire of a Weasley – Chapter 2

 **Author's note: Hi all! Sorry for the little delay, wrote the chapter once – hated it – wrote it again – hated it still – and finally wrote it once more and feel you will all enjoy! Charlie's summer has come to an end, with multiple trips to Great Aunt Tessie and Muriel I'm sure, and now he begins his journey to Hogwarts. Hazard a guess which House he'll be sorted into. I'll give you a clue, it rhymes with Liffinmore!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter" or anything related to it. I'm just a kid playing in the park the wonderful JK made for us.**

"Bill! Charlie! Wake up. Quick get dressed, we need to get to King's Cross."

Mr. Weasley's voice was sharp and to the point; clearly even Mrs. Weasley had accidently slept in this Saturday. Without pause for thought, the two boys rose from their beds and began to pull on jeans and t-shirts. Charlie scrambled into one of his Christmas jumpers that his mother had made which was black and had a big red 'C' on the front. Bill, pushing his hair back into a bun and stabbing his wand through it to keep it out of his face, swung his arms into his jacket and pulled on his boots. The two brothers hurried up a flight of stairs to get to the bathroom opposite their parents' room. Splashing the sleep out of their eyes they brushed their teeth before descending down to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was busying herself with making some extra food for the train as her sons would have to miss breakfast. Bill and Charlie had already said goodbye to their youngest siblings last night after Mrs. Weasley had made a delicious send-off dinner. So whilst the twins, Ron and Ginny slept soundly in their beds, Mr. Weasley had woken Percy - as he had requested last night when he was told how early his brothers would be leaving. He looked half-asleep as he stumbled down the stairs in his pyjamas, his short frizzy red hair jetting out in every direction.

"Now Charlie, as you know Errol took off a couple days ago to make sure he would get to Hogwarts the same time as you. If you realise you have forgotten anything or just want to write home tonight then you can. Bill will be there of course so speak to him if there is an issue with anyone or anything okay? And I know you like to wander but please stay away from that forest," said Mrs. Weasley as she pulled her two sons into a bone-crushing hug, kissing Charlie on the top of his head.

"Molly we've got to get going love, I'll see you in the afternoon," said Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley released her two sons and handed them their food for the train.

"I'll be good mum I promise, no dangerous wandering," Charlie replied to his mother. In truth Bill had told him all about the Forbidden Forest and Charlie couldn't wait to explore it, but only when he had a few handy spells up his sleeve just in case.

Mr. Weasley and Bill picked up the trunks that had been brought downstairs last night and carried them out into the yard towards the turquoise car. Mrs. Weasley hurried after them with the breakfast Bill had left on the side when he had picked up his trunk, leaving Percy and Charlie to make the short walk behind the others.

"You'll be in Gryffindor, just like Bill," Percy stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, yeah, well I hope so. Hufflepuff isn't bad either I guess," Charlie replied.

"I don't think Hufflepuff. You'll be with Bill, like always, that's what I think," said Percy.

"Well I trust you little brother, you're much smarter than me after all," said Charlie, nudging lightly on Percy's shoulder as they stopped a few metres from the car. "I don't know how I'll cope with all the homework without you being there to help. Do you reckon Errol could get my potions essays from Hogwarts to you and back again before I have to hand them in? Actually I reckon Scabbers would probably be the quicker option."

A smile pulled at Percy's lips, but it did not remain on his face for long. "I'm going to miss you, both of you."

"I'll miss you, too," said Charlie, and he pulled his little brother in for a quick hug before giving his mother another one and joining Bill in the back of the car. Mr. Weasley started the engine and the three Weasley's rolled out of the yard and away from the Burrow. Charlie and Bill both spun round to look out the back window at their brother and waving mother, but soon all that could be seen was Ron's attic window before Mr. Weasley turned right towards the motorway and their home had vanished from sight.

Glancing down at his watch, Mr. Weasley spoke up from the front not two minutes after the Burrow had disappeared. "Now boys, as we are a little pressed for time and thankfully it is quite a foggy morning, I think it is best if we took a more direct route to King's Cross today." Without any more warning, Mr. Weasley took a sharp left after leaving the village of Ottery St Catchpole and the Ford Anglia found itself on a smooth track with high hedges either side of it. "Here we go," Mr. Weasley whispered excitedly, putting his foot down on the accelerator. The car started to gain more and more speed, whistling down the country lane before suddenly it was no longer. Looking out of the windows, Charlie and Bill could briefly see their home again over the hills before the car was plunged into fog and cloud.

They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare before the train was due to depart. Though the flight in the car had greatly shortened the travel time from Devon, setting the car down in central London without any muggles seeing it proved a little trickier than getting it into the air in a quiet village at the crack of dawn. They had eventually managed to re-join the tarmac when Mr. Weasley had got out his wand, muttered _Fumos,_ and consequently a large smoke screen wrapped itself around the car long enough for the Ford Anglia to land in an empty side street a few miles from the station. Mr. Weasley had hoped that if any muggles had been looking at the skies, they would have seen only a falling cloud and hopefully thought little of it. The last part of the drive to the station Mr. Weasley had been wittering to himself about the need of some form of cloaking device for the car to avoid repeats of what Bill had dubbed 'The Dive-Bombing Cloud of Terror'.

Having parked the car, Mr. Weasley went and found a trolley whilst his sons heaved their trunks out of the boot, loading them onto the trolley when their father had returned. The three made their way across the road and into the station, heading towards platforms nine and ten.

"Hey you! Er… Mr. Wazlib, no that's not right… Sir, sir!"

Mr. Weasley stopped the trolley. With one hand he began to reach inside his robe pocket for his wand and with the other began to tug his sons safely behind him. However, just as quickly as Mr. Weasley had tensed up, his shoulders visibly relaxed as he saw where the sudden voice had come from. Running along platform nine towards the Weasleys was a woman in a blue turtleneck, a suede brown jacket and khaki trousers. She was accompanied by two young boys, both had jet-black hair and hooked noses, who were pushing trolleys with large trunks on and a man, who the voice must have belonged too, who was wearing a corduroy suit. Mr. Weasley released his wand from his hand, and waved a greeting to the muggle he had met all those weeks ago.

"Ah, Mr. Dreki if my memory serves me right? You gave us quite a fright with the shouting. How can I help you? Having difficulty finding the train?" The relief that was evident in all four of the Drekis' faces provided Arthur with his answer. "Not to worry, we can show you the way onto the platform. It's very simply, here let my son show you."

Bill took control of the trolley with his and Charlie's trunks on and began to walk purposefully towards the divide between the two platforms. Just as he was about to hit the wall, a large group of commuters walked in front of him and blocked Charlie's and the Drekis' view. Moments later, the people had moved and Bill was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" exclaimed Hassan or Olyvar, as their mother stood with an open mouth searching for Bill and Mr. Dreki was scratching the back of his head.

"He's on the platform now, he'll be waiting on the other side. Now it's your turn. All you have to do is walk straight at the wall with one of your sons and you'll pass onto the platform. Actually, best you all do it at a trot the first time," explained Mr. Weasley. "We all better hurry, the train will be leaving soon."

Mr. and Mrs. Dreki took the hand of one of their sons and jogged one behind the other towards the ticket barrier pushing their trolleys. All four people soon vanished. Mr. Weasley took Charlie by the hand, giving it a light squeeze whilst smiling down at him, and set off towards the wall.

Charlie and Mr. Weasley were suddenly covered in steam as they emerged on platform nine and three quarters. Swiping it away from their faces, a scarlet steam engine appeared in front of them. The Drekis were already making their way down the platform, but Mr. Weasley spotted Bill chatting to a friend ten metres away and brought Charlie towards the two.

"So this must be your little brother?" said the dark haired girl who Bill had been talking with as Charlie had approached with his dad. "Charlie, isn't it? Bill's told us all about you. Are you excited for Hogwarts? I'm sure you'll be in Gryffindor just like your brother and I, we can get to know one another even more! I'm Rosie by the way."

"Yeah I'm Charlie, and I hope so too," Charlie replied. Rosie seemed very friendly. Bill had mentioned her a couple times over the summer when the two of them and Percy had been talking in the garden. Yet, as he stood next to the two third years who returned to whatever they were talking about, Charlie unexpectedly felt a little down-hearted. He knew Bill had friends at Hogwarts; he couldn't imagine anyone not liking his older brother. But every winter and every summer over the last two years Charlie would get his best friend back. He should be happy that he now gets to go to school with Bill, but it had suddenly dawned on him that now he would have to share Bill with a lot more people than just his family. Would Bill's older friends want Charlie to be around all the time? Would Bill want his little brother around all his other mates? Charlie knew his family shared most things, would that mean maybe Bill wanted to keep his friends separate? Charlie's mind was quickly flooding with feelings of abandonment when his dad thankfully disrupted his thoughts.

"Bill, Charlie, it's time to get on the train," came Mr. Weasley's voice, snapping Charlie back to the present. "Come on, I'll help you load your trunks. Look that carriage door is still open." The three Weasleys and Rosie carried their trunks to the door and loaded them inside. Rosie told Bill that she'd be down in their carriage and walked off down the train. Bill and Charlie hopped back out onto the platform and gave their dad a hug. "Now you two look out for one another. Bill show Charlie the ropes; Charlie look after yourself. Hogwarts is the safest place in the world but still can be dangerous if you're silly, so behave as best you can. Love you both, now quick on the train!"

"You sound like mum more and more each day dad," Charlie said with a great grin on his face. He would miss his dad a lot. The two brothers climbed back into the train and stuck their heads out of the window.

A whistle sounded and the train began to move. Bill waved for a moment before bringing his head inside the carriage. Charlie kept waving at his dad until the train rounded a corner and Mr. Weasley had disappeared.

"And we're off!" Bill cheered as Charlie brought his head in from the window. "Come on let's go find you a seat."

The two Weasleys dragged their cases down the corridor looking for a compartment for Charlie. Charlie noticed the Dreki twins sat with another boy and girl and told Bill he'd try this one.

"Hi everyone, do you mind if I sit in here with you?" Charlie asked as he slid the compartment door open and popped his head inside.

"Hey! You're the son of the man who helped us onto the platform! Of course you can! Come in, come in!" one of the Dreki twins shouted rather exuberantly. Charlie took it as a good sign nonetheless; an energetic twin was familiar and fun. Bill helped lift Charlie's trunk up onto the shelf above the seats.

"I'm going to go find Rosie. If you want to come sit with us a little later we're three compartments down from you," Bill told Charlie. Charlie gave him a smile and watched as his elder brother continued on down the train dragging his trunk behind him. Charlie turned around and took the seat between the twin that had invited him in and the girl.

"I'm Hassan, that's my brother Olyvar."

"Hello, I'm Adam McNamara," said the stocky boy sat next to the window.

"You're a Weasley aren't you? I'm Alexis Hooch. My dad knows your dad quite well I think. They work at the Ministry of Magic together," said the blonde girl, who had a sharp upturned nose and bright yellow eyes.

"Hi everyone. Yeah I'm Charlie Weasley. What does your dad do?" he asked Alexis.

"He works for the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He's currently in America though, working with MACUSA. He's been drafted in to help them get ready for their Quidditch World Cup in two years. It's been pretty tough for him though, the muggles over there are busy with their election so there are crowds all over the country. Mum's a muggle mind, so dad's use to them."

Relief abruptly spread across Adam's face. "What's the matter Ad?" Hassan asked before Adam could return his expression to normal.

"It's n-nothing, don't worry" Adam replied.

"Adam it's alright, you can tell us," said Charlie.

"Well I overheard your mum and dad," Adam began, pointing at the twins, "talking about how strange but brilliant the platform was and I then noticed they weren't wearing robes and I sort of put two and two together and realised you both must be muggleborn like me. I thought if I sat in the same compartment as you then…I'd be…"

"Safe." Charlie finished for him. Charlie knew that parents and children would still be nervous about Hogwarts after everything that had happened over the last decade. Adam looked into Charlie's eyes and nodded, silently thanking him for finishing his sentence.

"When I got my letter," Adam continued, "I was so happy. I already knew I was a wizard. When I was eight, I saved my baby sister when she fell off a swing by making her hover in mid-air long enough for my dad to catch her. Some Ministry people had to come to my village and perform some memory charms on a few people as the park was quite busy at the time. They also spoke to my family about what was different about me. I had saved my little sister, my parents were never going to be ungrateful that I am a wizard. It was only until the Ministry witch mentioned You-Know-Who and the whole ongoing war that spooked my parents and me. We were told about the Daily Prophet when my dad asked how best to keep up with the news in the wizarding world. We started our subscription the same day so we could eventually decide if it was safe for me to be part of this world or not. Of course, three months later, You-Know-Who goes to the Potter's and is destroyed. It was only when I got my Hogwarts letter with the reading list that I finally knew where to go to help me understand why there was even a war in the first place. Everything I read, about blood purity and muggleborns, it was pretty scary. Mum was still saying I shouldn't come to Hogwarts even on the platform before I saw you two." Adam finished, with another raised finger pointed towards Olyvar and Hassan.

"That's over now, Ad. He's gone and it was only idiots that followed him in the first place," said Charlie. "I'm a pureblood myself, my dad loves muggles and messes around with their inventions as part of his job! It wasn't every magical person who could trace their 'pure' blood back centuries that thought the way You-Know-Who did. You said you read about the Potters, well Lily Potter was a muggleborn witch and she married into that pureblood family didn't she? I'm sorry that's how you were introduced to our world, but it is _ours_ and not just for those who think they are better because of something as stupid as blood." Charlie finally finished, having gone slightly red in the face trying to explain to Adam he was safe. If he wanted to continue living a shielded life he would never have left home. He wouldn't allow people like Adam to travel to Hogwarts shaking with fear either.

Silence settled for a moment, but then a pink haired girl whose head was poking into the compartment let out a very long, over-dramatic sigh. "Phew! What fun we're having here! Didn't know there was a party going on, where was my invite?"

"Sorry, I didn't realise quite how loud I was being," Charlie said sheepishly. "You're welcome to come in though, it's not all doom and gloom in here, promise."

"Don't mind if I do," said the girl, who upon moving through the doorway tripped herself on it and came crashing into the compartment landing on Olyvar and Adam. "Sorry, sorry!" the girl cried as Hassan and Charlie helped her up to her feet and she stumbled into the space between the two boys she had just used to cushion her fall. "Clumsy. Blame my dad, he's always bashing into things as well!"

"What's your name?" said Olyvar, wincing slightly as he rubbed the leg her elbow had landed on.

"Oh, course, I'm Tonks."

"Tonks?" Hassan spluttered, "That's your name? What's your surname?"

Tonks turned to the boy who was looking at her with doubtful eyes and stared at him just as intently. A few seconds past before Tonks' hair began to drastically darken, the bridge of her nose began to grow outwards and her mouth began to widen ever so slightly. Hassan screamed, whilst Olyvar just stared with awe as the twins momentarily turned into triplets.

"That's amazing! How do you do that, can you teach me?" Olyvar asked as Tonks shook her face back to normal.

"Sorry it's not something anyone can teach you. I'm a Metamorphmagus. It means I can change my appearance," replied Tonks. Olyvar looked a little crestfallen that he wouldn't be able to do that himself, but soon he and Tonks were happily chatting away about transfiguring body parts with a wand instead.

With Tonks and Olyvar lost in conversation, Charlie and Alexis introduced the other two to exploding snap. The trolley-witch had stopped by later on and the Dreki twins and Adam had bought most of the cart as they wanted to try a little of everything. The three boys offered Charlie, Alexis and Tonks the snacks too as long as they didn't trick them and lie about the Bertie Bott's Beans' flavours. Eventually Tonks handed Hassan a dirt flavoured bean much to his disgust, but the two laughed about it and swiftly started to purposefully eat the most revolting flavours. As the sun began to set, Tonks went around the circle and morphed into each person in the compartment. When Charlie asked her if she could morph into a dragon, Tonks tried for a solid ten minutes with little progress apart from her teeth growing into sharp fangs. Exploding Snap soon started up again and the countryside outside was wild and the sky dark by the time the group had finally given up on another round of the game. Charlie's attention from the game was interrupted when he saw Bill leaning against the doorframe smiling at his brother.

"Hey Charlie and his friends," he said, "you all best be getting into your robes, we'll be arriving in Hogsmeade in a moment. Charlie, unless all goes wrong, I'll see you in the common room a little later?" Bill winked at his brother before smiling once more and disappearing back to his compartment.

The train was indeed slowing down. Tonks waved goodbye as she went back to her original compartment to get changed. The rest of them helped one another in getting their robes out of their trunks and by the time they were appropriately dressed the train had come to a stop.

Leaving their trunks on the train as a voice had instructed, the group stepped from the train and down onto the train platform of the village of Hogsmeade. The station was quickly packed with students, with most heading towards the steps that led towards a row of carriages, drawn by nothing, waiting in a line.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!"

Charlie looked towards the source of the voice and saw the biggest man he had ever seen standing at the end of the platform with a lantern in hand. His big, black, bushy beard made his head look like a huge hairball but his beady eyes glowed with warmth. Charlie and the rest of the first years made their way to the giant's end of the platform and stood together in the dark.

"My name is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Bes' we get a move on, c'mon follow me! Mind yer step!"

The first years made their way down the narrow path, and upon rounding the bend the whispering abruptly died and everyone stood and stared in astonishment at the castle across the lake. Hogwarts. Charlie was there at last.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. The students separated into smaller groups and climbed aboard the small boats that had been waiting for them. Charlie helped Alexis Hooch and another girl by the name of Katie Avon into the boat before Adam and he climbed in afterwards. Tonks and the Dreki twins were in another boat with a blond boy that Charlie thought he recognised but couldn't seem to remember where from.

Hagrid shouted forward and the fleet set sail towards the castle. Barely a murmur was heard from the convoy as every gaze was directed up towards Hogwarts and its many towers that twinkled with light from the windows. In what felt like no time at all, the boats had reached the other side and Hagrid was warning everyone to keep their heads down as they entered a cave which led to a small harbour beneath the castle. Adam got out first and helped his three crewmates out of the boat and onto the pebbled beach. Once everyone had got themselves onto dry land, Hagrid knocked three times on the castle door. The door swung open and a strict looking witch who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall was standing on the other side. The professor then took charge of the first years and led them towards the Great Hall where she informed them that the start-of-term banquet would begin after the sorting ceremony had concluded. Then she informed them she would return momentarily and made her own way into the Great Hall.

Charlie was terrified. Surely he would be in Gryffindor. Bill was, Mum and Dad had been. But what happens if not. He had heard Percy panic about this very conundrum all summer but Charlie had thought little of it. He was most like Bill out of all his brothers and so whatever house Bill was in it would make sense he followed suit. But what if something goes wrong, and he ends up in Slytherin and he could never return to the Burrow because his family had disowned him. A hot flush began to creep up his neck and he pulled at the collar of his jumper. Would his mum ever make him another one for Christmas if he was put into Slytherin?

"If you would follow me, the Sorting Ceremony is about to begin," came the voice of professor McGonagall as she returned through the large double door of the Great Hall.

The line of first years moved into the Great Hall to more shocked gasps as the new students saw the bewitched ceiling for the first time. Charlie was looking up at it with his mouth opened wide, but quickly sought out the eyes of the one person he knew would calm his nerves. Bill was almost standing in his seat and that helped Charlie spot him as quickly as he spotted Charlie. Bill gave him a reassuring smile, and that seemed to be all that Charlie needed as he nodded back at his brother and with his head held high he walked the rest of the way towards the top table where the sorting hat was perched.

The new first years finally stopped in front of the hat and the whole hall fell quiet as the hat began to twitch. A rip opened near the brim and the hat began to sing:

 _Oh, another year at Hogwarts starts,_

 _Once more students fill this site,_

 _Time for all to fill their heads_

 _With learning, fun and light._

 _You can keep your worries and doubts,_

 _At the gates outside,_

 _For at Hogwarts you are safe_

 _There is no need to hide._

 _The gloom is gone, you mustn't fear,_

 _The darkness is in the past,_

 _Now you all can run and learn,_

 _And be united at long last._

 _Now to the sorting, where will you go,_

 _When I sit on your head,_

 _Will it be brave Gryffindor_

 _Where courage and chivalry wed?_

 _Or will it be loyal Hufflepuff,_

 _Where hard-working sets you apart,_

 _Or will it be wise Ravenclaw,_

 _Where they value brains and smart?_

 _Or will it be cunning Slytherin,_

 _Where you'll lead from the front,_

 _So I'll stop my singing and we can start,_

 _Let's begin the hunt!_

The hall burst into applause as the hat finished its last note. Charlie nudged Adam who was standing to his side, "Hey, told you I was speaking sense on the train – I've got a hat agreeing with me!"

Professor McGonagall stepped forward carrying a scroll and lifted the hat with her other hand.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and be sorted," she told the huddle of first years. "Avon, Katie!"

The girl who had shared the boat with Charlie, Adam and Alexis walked calmly towards the hat and put it on her head. It fell down right over her eyes and for a minute or so there was silence in the hall –

"RAVENCLAW!" roared the hat.

There was a huge shout to Charlie's left as the Ravenclaw table clapped and hooted as Katie made her way towards them with a big grin on her face.

The sorting continued on regardless as the cheering settled down temporarily. 'Belby, Marge' went to Gryffindor, 'Bulstrode, Margaret' went to Ravenclaw as well and 'Banks, Jean' and 'Burke, Rolanda' went to Slytherin. 'Conway, Rebecca' and 'Crumb, Liam' both then went to Gryffindor, but 'Crabbe, Gareth' and 'Cuthbert, Shaun' both went to Slytherin.

"Dreki, Hassan!"

Hassan, having watched the sorting for fifteen minutes or so, leapt when his name was called out and all but ran to the hat and thrust it on his head. Within seconds the hat cried out –

"GRYFFINDOR"

The applause from the furthest table on the left hadn't died away by the time Olyvar had been called and put the hat on his head. The hat decided just as quickly as it had with Hassan -

"RAVENCLAW"

When the hat was lifted off of Olyvar's head, he was beaming and sped off towards the cheering Ravenclaw table. Hassan caught his twin's eye and both smirked and nodded at one another before settling down to their different tables.

The sorting continued on, with 'Hooch, Alexis' joining Gryffindor much to the delight of a grey haired witch sat on the top table. 'McNamara, Adam' then joined Hufflepuff.

"Tonks, Nymphadora!" said professor McGonagall.

Tonks' hair went bright red as she walked through the crowd of first years towards the hat, her eyes staring towards the ground.

"Nymphadora. I like it," Charlie whispered to her as she passed. Tonks swatted him lightly on the arm but her hair noticeably diluted from the stark red it had been so that by the time she reached the chair and put the hat over her eyes, her hair was pink again.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat cried out to applause once more.

When the sorting eventually reached the Ws, Charlie was left to stand alone when 'Ward, Thomas' was called forwards and sorted into Hufflepuff. As his name was called out he approached the hat as quickly as he could, wanting it all to be over now. Slipping the hat on over his eyes, he waited with bated breath.

"Hmm," the hat said into his ear, "another Weasley I see. Brave, just like your brother, yet also hard-working and very resourceful. You yearn to be with your brother but also desire some independence from him, I see. I think I know just where to put you, but do not forget you have qualities that all the founders valued – do not limit yourself due to prejudice. Remember this, and you will thrive in GRYFFINDOR!"


End file.
